Temptations
by Diamond Lily425
Summary: Travis Stoll had never been any good resisting temptations. Especially when temptation came in the form of Katie Gardener.
1. Keeping Score

**My first go at a PJO fic-I had to get in on the action. I'll keep it short and sweet( I hate long AN)-please read, (and I'm a big girl, I can handle flames) and review! I'll respond to every review with a preview. Warning, some bad language. Chapters will vary with Travis POV and Katie's.**

**This is set after the second Titan war with Kronos.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of Rick Riordan's characters. **

**Please Review!**

Katie Gardener frowned, pushing her sandy blonde hair out of her face. She sighed impatiently, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun as she searched for a certain Hermes troublemaker.

_I knew he wouldn't show up_, she thought, growling.

This being the first week of camp, she hadn't had a chance to see Travis yet. But he certainly had a part in the numerous pranks played on the Demeter cabin. Hades, it was still the first week of camp, and he already managed to steal their bunk beds (she had NO idea how he did that) ruin their strawberry plants, dig up her garden and replace all her plants with stink bombs, and the worst, tie her favorite lace bra on top of the Demeter flag.

Their stupid-ass director, Chiron, decided this would be a perfect time to have "camp bonding" time. Or, in other words, the tension between the Demeter and Hermes cabin had finally reached a breaking point, and to avoid future incidents, Chiron had paired a Hermes camper with a Demeter cabin member and ordered them to shadow each other, in hopes of creating unity between the two cabins.

As if.

And, of course, she got him.

Travis Stoll.

Just as she was about to go search for him, so she could kick his ass for making her wait for an hour, she saw a familiar face approaching the strawberry fields.

Holy mother of Hera. Was that _him?_

He was certainly nothing like she remembered. Last year, Katie remembered him being a short-ish 16-year-old with a slightly pudgy face and a less-than hot physique.

However, over the summer, it was as if he had become a hotter version of himself, like Travis Stoll 2.0. Even from a distance, his muscles were clearly etched through his white t-shirt, and his tan skin went perfectly with his soft, perfectly tousled brown hair. And now he was _seventeen_...

Why the hell did he have to be so fucking _hot?_

The closer Travis came toward her, the more stunned she became. When he slowed to a stop in front of her, she was speechless. One thing that remained was his dazzling smile-but when did his eyes become this...sexy? Travis's blue-green eyes flickered with mischievousness, but they still managed to make her knees feel like jelly.

Katie quickly covered up her lapse in conversation by remembering why she was angry. She took a deep breath.

"TRAVIS! You made me wait for an hour!" she shouted, stomping her foot. Several acorns fell out of the tree onto her head. This did nothing to improve her temper.

Instead of looking remorseful, or even somewhat ashamed, his face brightened. "I won the bet!' he crowed, looking triumphant. Katie halted. "What bet, Travis?" she said, her voice becoming dangerously soft.

Travis grinned, unrepentant. "The bet I made with Connor last week. He bet I couldn't make you scream my name." He paused, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, he continued, looking thoughtful. "I think he meant it in a sexual way, but he never specified..." He trailed off.

She still didn't speak.

"Travis, you arrogant, selfish, self-centered, perverted, bastard!" Katie huffed, then stormed away. Away from him. Far, far, away.

"Aw, c'mon, Kates!" he pleaded. She softened a tiny bit. Katie would never admit it, not to anyone and barely even to herself, but she like it when Travis called her Kates. It was _their_ special nickname.

But Katie kept on walking, ignoring Travis. Travis caught up with her easily, taking her hand.

Electric sparks shot up her arm. She yanked her hand out of his, praying that her blush wasn't as noticeable as it felt.

"Don't be mad, Katie," he said softly, taking her hand back in his, his fingers unconsciously brushing her palm.

Mad? Who was mad? Who was Katie?

All she knew was a really sexy guy was holding her hand right now.

Katie blinked, coming to her senses. She was holding his _hand_. Her face bypassed red and turned a unpleasant shade of cherry-maroon.

She turned to face him, her face cooling. "Well, you better come up with a better explanation as to why you made me wait for an hour," she huffed, meeting his eyes with a glare.

Travis frowned. "I had...stuff to do, Kates."

She looked at the ground. "Yeah? Like what? Destroying my garden? Tying my BRA to the flagpole?"

Travis sighed, placing a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

Oh_. Not_ good. Her knees went weak and her head went fuzzy and she wanted to do something very, very inappropriate. A passionate make-out session in the strawberry fields seemed good...but was it good enough? Dazed, half-crazed thoughts chases around in her head. She let the fantasies pull her...

_They stumbled into his conveniently empty cabin, the door slamming shut behind them. They tumbled toward the bed, Katie ripping off his shirt in the process. "Oops," she whispered. Travis's eyes glinted. "I think you're too covered up, Kates," he purred. _

_Katie giggled as Travis rolled her so he was on top of her. "You've been a bad girl, haven't you, Katie Gardener?" Travis said, his hazel-flecked eyes darkening with lust. He nipped at her earlobe, making her whimper. "Yes.." she breathed, her eyelids fluttering. Travis smiled seductively, leaning closer, then-_

Then he spoke, pulling her out of her less-than-appropriate daydream. "Trust me, Kates," Travis said, flashing her a dazzling smile, dropping his hands.

"Sure," she squeaked. She could only imagine what else those hands could do...

Gods.

If she was expected not to jump him there and then, she really needed to stop thinking about him.

He was still holding her hand.

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Travis Stoll was in deep shit. Deep, deep, shit.

When he heard about Chiron and his pathetic attempt to relieve the tension between the two cabins, naturally, he switched his name with his half-sister's, Courtney's, and replaced it with his, so he would be paired up with Katie.

Katie Gardener. Fuck.

There was something about her- it could have been her sunny laugh, her piercing eyes that always saw the truth no matter how convincingly he lied, her strawberry-blonde hair, that amazing smile, that made him totally, irrevocably in love with her.

Or it could have been the fact she had a smokin' body and was hotter than Aphrodite. But mostly it was her personality.

Earlier that day, while he was passing through the fields on a pranking mission, he saw a lone figure kneeling in the strawberry fields. Curious as to who would pick gardening instead of the lake on a hot day like this, he approached the figure.

He saw Katie kneeling, unaware she was being watched, kneeling, singing as she plucked strawberries from the vines. Her soft, sweet melody washed over him like a cooling breeze.

Travis knew she would stop if she spotted him, so he dashed behind the nearest tree. He peered through a hole in the trunk, only to see Katie gazing suspiciously at the tree he was hiding behind.

He stood stock still, not making a sound. Hermes children had the ability to do such things, naturally, as their father was the patron of thieves.

Katie, apparently deciding it was an animal, resumed her singing.

Travis watched, entranced. Her smooth, creamy skin seemed to glow in the sun's rays, as well as bringing out the strawberry tint in her hair.

Katie's small, delicate hands wove intricately in out the vines, each time coming back with strawberries.

He was dazzled.

How many minutes he stood there, staring, he didn't know.

Finally, his cell phone buzzed. Yeah, he screwed the no-cell-phones-allowed rule ages ago. Whoever it was, he didn't pause to look, because he noticed the time first. He was supposed to meet Katie an hour ago for their shadowing. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck!_" he hissed. _Great way to start, Stoll._

He stepped out from the tree. Katie glanced up at his approach, a strange look flitting across her face. She looked...shocked?

Then, she stood up. "TRAVIS! You made me wait for an _hour_!" she shouted. Travis couldn't help but notice (he was a boy-with hormones-after all, right?) how her soft cream shirt clung to her shape, or how her denim shorts barely reached her thighs...

_Focus, Travis, dammit, focus._

Travis grinned. He won the bet.

"What bet?" Katie said, frowning.

Shit. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. As quickly as possible, he filled her in the ramifications of his and Connor's bet.

She huffed and stormed off. Travis bounded after her. He reached out and took her hand, marveling at its softness. "Aw, c'mon, Kates!" Katie shoulders relaxed from their tight stance, and she breathed out a soft sigh, but pulled away her hand as if she'd been shocked.

Travis grinned, glad his touch could still do that to her. After all, it was only fair. She had no idea what effect she had on _him._

"Don't be mad," he coaxed, taking her hand back in his, rubbing his thumb over her palm.

"Well, you better come up with a better explanation as to why you made me wait for an hour," she snapped.

Travis frowned. He couldn't exactly say, "Oh, yeah, I was watching you from behind a tree 'cause I'm kinda in love with you." 

Instead, he said, "I..had stuff to do, Kates."

Katie looked at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. "Yeah? Like what? Destroying my garden? Tying my BRA to the flagpole?" she said suspiciously.

Travis sighed, pulling her chin up to his. If her intake of breath was anything to go by, she was pretty much having the same, vivid, inappropriate thoughts as he was.

"Trust me, Kates," Travis said, smiling half-heartedly. "Sure.." she breathed, her eyes widening and going blank. Her sigh washed over her face, making him shudder involuntarily.

Nevertheless, he grinned.

_Score: Travis, 1, Katie, 0, _he thought.

**Ok, this is it! This is definitely going to be a multi-chapter fic. Reiew-tell me if it's rubbish or if it's good. Please, please, please review-i'll send an exerpt of the next chapter.**

**Kisses!**


	2. Just Friends, Right?

**AN: Thanks to- got2'heart'nico, unbreakable0, Blue is the Sea, mwaterbender96, daughter of the sea, emtionalpoemgirl, daughter of Athena, coconut1559, thisismini, XxXThe Silver ArrowXxX, chowgow, kushkeshet, pa0lamarie, lilacmayn, xox jonas xox, srta strawberry, fanclubofme, omgitskyana, tratie4ever, and omg, for reviewing and favorite-ing and alert-ing.**

**a special thanks to XxXTheSilverArrowXxX- she brought to my attention that Katie has brown hair, not strawberry blonde. Sorry, guys :)**

**Anyway-on with the story!**

Katie had decided that Travis should be the one to shadow her first. She told him so while walking up to the Demeter cabin-to her surprise, he agreed without complaint. As they approached the her cabin, she let go of Travis's hand, somewhat wistfully.

However, Travis had other ideas.

He grabbed her by the waist, pulled her against his well-defined body and whispered,

"Sleep well, Kates."

Katie stiffened, her mind in a hazy blur. His lips looked absolutely kissable, and she was dying to take him right there.

They were _this_ close.

So close.

She could feel his breath on her lips.

He could smell her perfume-a intoxicating smell of flowers and everything else heavenly.

She could see the gold flecks in his eyes.

He could see freckles sprinkled lightly over her nose.

But _just_ as he leaned closer, he pulled away, leaving Katie unsatisfied. Her eyes fluttered, and she felt overwhelming disappointment. She was so close...damn him. She heard Travis sigh, and she felt his lips brush lightly across the top of her head. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and much to her embarrassment, a soft hum-moan-sigh escaped her.

Shit.

As he pulled away, he said, "Good night, Kates." Graceful and lithe, like a panther, he lept from the Demeter porch and strolled off to the Hermes cabin. As he left, she swore she head him chuckle.

Bastard.

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The next morning, Katie awoke abruptly from an _extremely_ vivid dream involving her, Travis, strawberries, and somehow, whipped cream found its way in there, too. Wondering the reason as to her sudden return to consciousness, she groggily heaved herself out of bed, slipped on her kimono, and opened her eyes blearily.

Standing over her looking as though she was trying to crack up, was her half-sister, Melanie.

"It's 7 in the morning! What the Hades! I was having a really good dream!" Katie shouted, thoroughly annoyed.

"I know...it must have been a good dream, Katie, in order for you to make _those_ kind of sounds," Melanie said, trying and failing to stifle a snigger.

Oh, Hades.

Catching sight of Katie's mortified expression and stiff body posture, Melanie said, "No worries. I won't tell anyone. Who, may I ask was the boy in question? He seemed to be giving you a mighty fine time," she finished, raising an eyebrow. Katie was silent.

Melanie paused. "It was a _boy_, wasn't it?"

"YES!" Katie shouted, indignant. "I'm not telling."

Melanie smirked. "I guess I'll just have find out by myself, then." She hopped off Katie's bunk and trotted out the door to breakfast.

Fuck. Why did that seem to be the theme of her life lately?

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At breakfast, Katie's day hardly improved. She glanced over at the Hermes table, only to see Travis seated with his back to her. NOT that she felt anything for him. At all. Just friends. After all, friends dreamt of each other all the time, right? Right.

Not bothering to sacrifice some of her meal to Demeter, she scraped her bacon in the dancing flames, muttering a quick prayer to Aphrodite instead, practically begging her to make her feelings for Travis fade, and quick.

Suddenly, the most heavenly scent drifted towards her.

There was a feminine, rosy scent, but overpowering that was a stronger, masculine, yet fresh scent that made her weak at the knees and her bones feel gooey. It was such a enticing scent, that Katie felt her skin go hot and cold and crawl with anticipation. It was strangely familiar, but she couldn't remember from what.

Blushing furiously, she turned away from the flames and settled at the Demeter table, staring at the back of Travis's neck the entire time, not touching her food.

Last night, she'd agreed to meet Travis at the top of the strawberry field, so he could shadow her for the day and see what life was like as a child of Demeter. She'd go about her daily routine, pruning and taking care of the plants, harvesting, then they'd go to the sword-fighting arena and have a little 'friendly competition', as Chiron put it. Bull.

Well, that was the plan, anyway. But Travis had a way of making sure nothing ever went according to plan.

This time around, Travis was already in place in the fields, his hands in his jeans, cocky but sexy grin in place, leaning against an old, faded tree. Katie marched up to him, determined to keep her unreliable feelings in check.

Her sacrifice was wasted.

Apparently, Aphrodite didn't give a shit.

The moment she came with in five feet of him, her heart started beating erratically. Her face was tinged with pink. _DAMN you, Aphrodite, _she thought. Utterly nonplussed as to why a guy would have so much influence over her, Katie decided to proceed as normal. As normal as she could get with a male model next to her, anyway.

Katie consulted her list. "Mkay, Travis, right about now I usually head over to the fields to get in some gardening before archery and sword practice. Then, I'll...Travis? Are you even listening to me?" For Travis was staring morosely out at the sparkling lake, his eyes glum.

He turned, flashing me a crooked smile. "When's the last time you didn't do things according to plan, Kates? Have you ever thought about being a little spontaneous?" he finished, his eyes flickering. One thing Katie noticed that was whenever Travis was nervous, angry, or thoughtful, his eyes seemed to have more gold in them. Shaking herself from this thought, she paused, saying, "No."

"Got it!" he crowed. "I know what we're going to do today."

"Stoll, I swear, if you-"

"Too late."

With that, Travis grabbed her hand-oh, Zeus, her HAND-and tugged her along to the lake.

Approaching the lake, he picked her up, bridal style, and proceeded to chuck her in the lake.

With clothes on.

With a white shirt. And pink bra.

_Real smart, Gardener._

When she emerged, sopping wet and furious, on the sand, the first thing that entered her line of vision was a grinning Travis. "So, Kates? Feeling spontaneous yet? You know, in the future, I wouldn't wear a pink-" Katie cut him off.

"You know what I see in the future, Stoll? My sword up your-"

Katie stopped, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Travis backed up warily on the dock, eyeing her. "Nevermind, Travis," she purred. She prowled closer to him, getting within an inch of him face, forcing him to back up til he was at the edge of the dock. _Time for a taste of your own medicine, baby. _She leaned in, as if she was going to kiss him, then put out a finger and ge-e-ently pushed him.

Travis fell in the water with a resounding splash. Katie smirked, triumphant. What she didn't count on, however, was Travis's hand to shoot out and grab her ankle, pulling her down with him into the lake.

"Oh, fuck, Travis!" she shouted, before the water cut off her garbled complaint. Freshly re-dripping wet and laughing, she popped up, pulling Travis up by the hand.

There was an uncomfortable moment when the two were rather close together.

Travis closed his eyes briefly, exhaling with a sharp gust. "You, uh, wanna go fit in some sword practice? So we have _something_ to tell Chiron at the end of the week?

"Uh, sure," said Katie squeezing her t-shirt, splashing out of the water. Together, they trudged to the arena, where, in a hot, sweaty hour of sword fighting, neither could gain the advantage, so they agreed to call it quits.

Travis panted, wiping his forehead with a towel. "I gotta admit, Gardener, you aren't bad, not bad at all." Katie huffed. "Not bad? Pft, I so could've whipped your sorry ass. I was going easy on you!"

"Sure, whatever, Kates," he said, grinning.

"Wanna go clean up?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "It wouldn't do at all to appear to dinner looking like ragamuffins," Travis said pompously, doing a perfect imitation of the Aphrodite campers.

Katie giggled, but nevertheless allowed Travis to escort her to the showers, where he bowed, and said, "This where I bid thee farewell, mi'lady. Unless...?" He let his voice trail off suggestively. Katie blushed. "Gods, no! I'll be out in twenty minutes."

Travis sighed dramatically, then winked and walked over to the boy's shower.

Katie let out a moan of relief as the hot water cascaded over her back, washing off evidence of the day's activities. Despite her prayers, she couldn't help but enjoy her time with Travis today. Satisfied she was clean, she departed for the Demeter cabin, furtively checking to see if the coast was clear, making sure no one saw her skimpy pajamas.

But gods, it was summer, so who would have expected her wear a fleece and pants?

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Katie tapped her foot. Would it be completely weird for her to go to the Hermes cabin at all?

After all, she couldn't sleep. Friends went to friends to help them with insomnia, right? Nevermind the fact that they couldn't sleep was because she was too busy thinking about a sexy son of Hermes? Wearing skimpy pajamas? Right.

Tap, tap. The sound of Katie's impatient tapping echoed through the silent cabin, apart from the snores of her siblings. How soon was too soon to go visit Travis?

It's not like she planned to seduce him or anything.

Not really.

Five minutes passed.

Then another five.

Finally, Katie, unable to take it anymore, bounded up from her bunk and practically sprinted to the side window of the Hermes cabin where she knew Travis's bunk was. Muttering a quick prayer to Hermes for luck on her sneaky exploit, (hoping he would overlook the fact she was trying to seduce his son) and gently slid open the window.

"Psst, Travis. Wake up," she whispered, gently prodding his stomach, ignoring the rather dry feeling in her mouth as she felt his rock-hard abs.

He didn't wake up.

Katie sighed. Time for method two.

"Traaavis. Wake up."

She continually poked him, harder each time. No response. Well, too bad. He MADE her resort to the last method. Katie bent down, brushing her lips against his forehead. She climbed over Travis's legs, settling herself in a straddling position. He jerked awake.

"Huh? Wazzgoinon? Katie?" He blearily opened his eyes and said, "Kates? What are you doing here?"

Katie paused, then said, "I can't sleep."

Travis smirked. "So you can to visit me in the middle of the night, wearing that sexy getup because...?"

Katie sighed in irritation. "So, I was hoping you could help take my mind off...things."

Travis's smirk grew even more pronounced. "Any ideas, Kates?"

"Just talk to me," she shrugged, staring at his face as though trying to memorize his features.

"Ah, ah, ah. If you come in my window, at 2 am in the morning, wearing that, you are NOT looking to talk," Travis said, sitting up.

His eyes widened when he realized how she was sitting.

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A beautiful girl who you happen to be in love with wearing a sexy nightgown practically straddling you isn't the worst way to be woken up.

It so happened that Katie crept into Travis's room, wearing less than she should be, waking him up, claimed she couldn't sleep, laying on top of him, at 2 am.

Not to say that Travis wasn't enjoying this immensely.

Katie gazed at Travis intently, her eyes wide and innocent. Damn, he always had trouble saying no to her. Ever.

Travis sighed, giving in. "C'mere," he said, roping an arm around her waist. He pulled her down next to him, very aware of here short nightgown. She cautiously laid down next to him, relaxing when she entwined her legs with his.

Oh, fuck. He never knew Katie could feel so good. Her legs were smoother than silk, not to mention she smelled amazing. He sent a prayer up to Aphrodite, begging to let him keep it together.

Apparently, Aphrodite didn't hear him.

That seemed to be a trend lately.

Travis groaned, relenting. He flipped over, putting Katie underneath him. Katie squeaked, taken by surprise. "Why are you really here, Kates? You're killing me, coming in at night dressed like this," he said, gesturing to her attire.

"Travis, I-"

He cut her off by pressing a kiss to her warm collarbone. She inhaled sharply, her eyelids fluttering shut. Travis grinned, triumphant. "Friends do this...right?"

"Um...right," she breathed. Travis could practically feel the heat emanating from her body.

Suddenly, Connor sat up.

"Travis!" he hissed, his voice sounding like a gunshot in the warm darkness. Katie had the look of a cornered rabbit. She ducked underneath his bed.

"What, Connor?" he said, irritated. Why were their almost-kisses always interrupted?

"I had a dream...stealing the...got caught...never happened...before..." Connor trailed off into silence, and before Travis could respond, his head hit the pillow, snoring.

"You dick, Connor! I was.." Then he remembered Katie was still in the room. He turned, but she was backing away towards the window, her eyes wide. "I should go," she said. So saying, she climbed out of the window and into the night.

He was _this_ close.

Travis slumped back on his pillows in frustration, groaning.

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**Okay, that's it for this chapter. I tried to make it longer than usual. Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. Keep it up! And yes, they STILL haven't kissed. I'm holding out.**

**Review, tell me what to change or add, or if you have a request for the plot.**

**Kisses!**


	3. Empousa suck at knots

**Hi, I'm back! I've been writing like a fiend these past couple days, so I have a few chapters lined up. A GINORMOUS thanks to all my reviewers, alert-ers, and favorite-ers! I love to hear from you guys. It helps me write faster! Anyway, thanks again. Onward, friends! **

**This takes place just after Katie left Travis's cabin.**

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Travis stared at the wall morosely. WHY were their almost-kisses ALWAYS interrupted?

He was going to kick Connor's sorry ass and his stupid dreams to Hades.

Actually, no.

Travis would just find a way to make sure Katie couldn't dodge it this time.

Breakfast? Too public.

Sword arena? Not very romantic.

Cabin? Again, no privacy.

Strawberry fields? She was always there. Romantic setting, especially in the afternoon.

Strawberry fields it was. If things went according to plan.

But they never did.

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Katie was absolutely frazzled. She had almost gotten caught. On Travis's bed, laying on top of him, by his brother. And despite what it MAY have looked like, it wasn't like that, not at all. They were just friends, right?

Right.

Because friends really think about the friends naked, all the time.

Right?

Oh, gods, she couldn't even lie convincingly to herself.

And she had to admit it wasn't purely a physical attraction. Sure, his lean and toned physique with his glowing skin and pearly whites with that adorable curly brown hair didn't hurt in the slightest. But it went farther than the dazzling smile and unique eyes. He just had something _about_ him. Maybe it was his mischievous air, the twinkle in his eyes, the warmth of his hand. Perhaps it was the bad-boy image; she always had a thing for that type. Or the concern and admiration in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She always got the general fuzzy feeling when looking at him

And the fact that he was practically a sex god.

He had always been good with his hands, able to pickpocket anyone or anything with ease. She could only imagine what else he could do with those hands...

Ahem. Anyway.

However, she relaxed, knowing that Travis was in love with her and she with him and they-

Wait.

What? Where did love come into the equation?

Even as Katie pondered this, a deep sense of satisfaction was glowing in her stomach. The words her, Travis, and love seemed to flow very naturally with each other. Instead of feeling panicked or scared, Katie felt at ease and content. So? This was it? No lightening from the sky, Zeus? Had Katie Gardener really fallen that easily?

Katie could no longer pretend that she was only possibly falling in love with Travis. She had fallen in love with Travis Stoll...?

Apparently, she had. With Travis Stoll. Oh, dear gods. But she secretly loved it, knowing he was all hers.

So lost in thought Katie was she never noticed a menacing figure prowling behind her on her way back to the Demeter cabin.

Until the figure hit her in the back of the head. Really hard. Like, knock-unconscious-hard.

So, no surprises, Katie swayed, falling the ground with a light thump.

The last thing she saw was a figure bending over her before she lapsed into unconsciousness.

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Travis awoke, feeling edgy and nervous. Something...wasn't right. On a typical morning in the Hermes cabin, you could always hear shrill voices, lots of laughter, and the pitter patter of light footsteps. Instead, he heard something else, something that unnerved him more than anything.

Silence.

You never heard silence in the Hermes cabin. _Never._

Utterly confused and a tad disconcerted, Travis rolled out of bed to find an empty cabin. He dressed at lightening speed and dashed out of the cabin. He paused. As far as Travis could tell, the camp looked completely abandoned. It was...eerie.

That was, until he saw smoke coming from the dining hall. Travis jogged quickly to the hall, finding the entire camp there, plus Mr. D and Chiron. Frowning, he saw the Demeter cabin grouped together, looking at the ground morosely, their faces streaked with tears. He grabbed a kid from the Apollo cabin and said, "Hey, kid. What's going on?" The kid, who he now recognized as Shelly Hephrine, merely pointed to Chiron. Chiron cleared his throat. "Now, campers, we must stay calm. We cannot rule out the fact that she simply may be a runaway."

At this, the Demeter cabin sprang up with loud protests. Chiron raised his hands, and silence fell. "However," he continued, "I believe it is more likely that she was kidnapped."

Travis felt a feeling of cold dread in his stomach.

"Wait," he called out, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "Who are we talking about, exactly? Who was kidnapped?"

Mr. D rolled his eyes.

Chiron frowned. "Did you not hear the news, Mr. Stoll? A Demeter child's bunk was found empty this morning. We've searched the grounds, and we found evidence of a small scuffle

by the cabin. We believe she may have been abducted."

Travis's sight went hazy.

"Who. Was. It," he said slowly, enunciating every word.

Chiron turned away. "Katie Gardener."

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He wished he had taken the news a little better.

When the fated words left Chiron's mouth, Travis's world crumbled. As it was, he went a little crazy. He or may not have cursed Chiron to Tartarus when he wouldn't immediately send a search party for Katie. And when Mr. D tried to intervene, he called him a crazy old drunk, and only Chiron could convince Mr. D not to incinerate him on the spot. Then he attempted to sneak off the grounds to find Katie, only to be brought back by the harpies.

Chiron, fully backed by Mr. D, forbid him to go on the quest. Instead, he was sending Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Will Solace from the Apollo cabin, and Nico. Chiron decided to go with a larger group because they had no idea what they were up against-he also wanted a variety of talents. Will, for his healing, Percy and Annabeth because they were the best questers ever to set foot on Camp Half-Blood, Clarisse, a good fighter, and Nico, in case they were dealing with something from the Underworld.

Annabeth smiled sympathetically at Travis. "We'll bring her back safe and sound, Travis, don't worry," she said, adjusting her knife. Percy looked up from cleaning the rust from his armor."Yeah, man, chill out. I'm sure she's fine."

He didn't look very convinced, though.

That was reassuring.

If Chiron thought this was going to stop him, then he was an idiot. Nothing ever stopped Travis Stoll.

Especially when the girl he loved could be dead, or worse right now.

His scheming began.

After the rescue party was sent out, Travis donned his armor and collected his supplies, and snuck out of the Hermes cabin. Approaching the forest, he crept towards the boundaries.

Suddenly, a light blazed in front of him.

Oh, fuck, he was caught. But as the light dimmed, it revealed a man wearing a navy track suit with white Reeboks. In his hand was a cell phone.

"Um...Dad?" Travis said softly.

He had seen his dad, Hermes, before but he only ever had one or two direct conversations with him.

His dad beamed at him. Okay, he didn't expect that reaction.

"Just visiting, Travis. Can't I visit my favorite son when I want?"

Favorite son. Travis was his favorite son.

Suppressing a smile, Travis said, "Sure, but I'm kinda of a time-sensitive mission right now."

"I know all about it, Travis. God, remember?"

No, he had forgotten his own dad was a god.

Travis shifted. "Well, you see, I kinda need to get going. You see..."

"I know, Travis. Which is why I'm here to help you. Aphrodite wouldn't leave it alone," Hermes said, smiling slightly.

Travis blushed. If Aphrodite was interested in them, then it must be bad.

His smile fading, he said, "Katie has been kidnapped by some _empousa_. It's unclear why, or who is commanding them, or why they need her particularly-perhaps they need a child of

Demeter. But time is running out. I will do what I can to help you, but the gods are forbidden from interfering in their children's lives too much, so my help will be limited."

Travis's head was spinning. Katie? _Empousa_? It didn't make sense.

Hermes was loosening the drawstring of a leather pouch. From it, he produced a long, gleaming, wicked-looking sword. "I noticed you came unarmed," he noted. "For fighting _empousa_, this will do the trick," Hermes said, handing over the long hand-and-half double edged sword. "Look for her by Orpheus's entrance to the Underworld. From there, make a left until you come across a tree with two branches in the shape of an omega. Press your palm to the trunk."

Travis hefted the sword and swung it expertly. It was balanced perfectly and whooshed through the air so fast it blurred.

"I must warn you, Travis. Don't let your emotions blind you."

With that, Hermes began to glow. Travis averted his eyes in order to not get blasted to smithereens.

So that was it? He would tell Travis where to find her but not offer any help besides a sword? He already had a dagger, he didn't need a sword. Fighting the impulse to hurl it across the ground, instead, he sheathed it and journeyed on.

Once past the harpies and successfully out of camp, Travis headed to Orpheus's entrance. Grumpy, dirty, and exhausted, (he had met a few monsters on the way) he took a left, coming across a tree with oddly shaped branches.

He almost lost his nerve, but he imagined Katie in there, frightened and alone. Travis took a deep breath and pressed his palm to the trunk. The bark shifted, revealing a long, dark, damp corridor. Steeling himself, he walked inside.

Immediately, the tree closed behind him. _Well, that's comforting,_ he thought. Hefting his new sword in one hand, he advanced slowly down the hall. There were several rotting doors on either side of the hall. He heard voices emanating from the furthest one. Travis crept forward, peeking inside the door.

The first thing he noticed was Katie, tied and gagged, looking exhausted and gaunt.. Her face was smeared with dirt, and there were twigs and leaves in her hair. Her brown eyes, once playful and sparkling, had turned dull and weary. One of her legs was twisted at an odd angle, like it was broken. Blood seeped from a wound on her head, staining her hair bright red. Several cuts and scratches adorned her legs and arms. She stirred, seeming barely conscious.

Seeing Katie like this made Travis's heart explode with agony. He ached to run in and comfort her, but he knew that would blow his cover. Travis paused, his eyes taking in every detail around the room. Two _empousa _stood guard over her, seemingly arguing about something. Disguised as beautiful women, they both wore slinky pantsuits, contrasting oddly with the dirt room.

Travis heard footsteps behind him. He barely had time to fling himself behind the door when a man walked in, limping. They stopped arguing abruptly. "He'll come. I know he will," said the man, his cold voice sending shivers over Travis. He shifted, accidentally banging the door with his knee. Oh, fuck. Fuck, dammit, shit,- Travis's cursing was interrupted by the man flinging open the door and dragging him out.

The man smiled. Travis felt a stab of recognition. It wasn't a man, no, it was a teenage boy- a camper who had fled months ago from camp. His name was Haden, son of Nemesis-the revenge goddess. Great.

"What do you want?" Travis said, his voice cracking. "You," Haden said, his eyes gleaming. He paused, addressing Katie. "You led your lamb to slaughter, Gardener. I knew he would come after you. It was the perfect plan, the perfect trap. Instead of having to go through the bother to get you, Stoll, I could just get Katie."

"Why do you want me?" Travis asked, his voice now filled with rage.

"Revenge, Stoll. The one thing my mother taught me. In the battle against Kronos and the Olympians, you rigged a bomb that blew up 7 demigods. One of them was my sister."

Travis blocked most of the war out-it was too painful to recall. But thinking back, he did remember setting off several Hephaestus traps.

"Look, I did what I had to, ok? It was either kill or be killed," Travis pleaded. "I'm-I'm sorry that I killed your sister. But she sided with Kronos, remember? There's no turning back after that."

Haden's eyes glowed with rage, but his voice remained calm. "Sorry doesn't bring her back to life, Stoll. So I'm going to teach you a lesson my mother would approve of."

Saying so, the two _empousa _dragged Katie to a chair and propped her up. Haden swung his sword experimentally.

"While you watch, Stoll, helpless, I'm going to kill her. An eye for an eye," Haden said coldly.

"If you touch her, by Hades, I'll-" Travis was cut off by the empousa binding him and gagging him.

Haden laughed, his shrill voice echoing through the damp halls. "You'll what, Stoll? I'm just getting even-trust me, I know all about that."

Travis was silent, calculating his chances of saving Katie.

They weren't good.

He shifted his bonds. They were loose! If he wiggled his wrists, he could slip one of his hands free. Haden and the two_ empousa_ were focused on Katie. Travis slipped his hands free, but kept them behind his back. He reached out with his foot and slowly drew his sword toward him. Travis remembered what Hermes had said to him. _When fighting _empousa_, this will do the trick. _

Unclasping his hands, he flipped his sword up with his foot and caught it. The _empousa _and Haden turned around. Without a second thought, Travis sliced through the them. They exploded, coating everything with a fine white dust.

Haden started.

The only thing Travis could thing of to say was, "Empousa suck at tying knots."

He lunged at Haden, but Haden pulled out his sword and pressed it to Katie's throat, who was so beaten she barely put up a fight.

"Come closer and she dies."

Travis halted. He lowered his sword, eyeing Haden warily. His eyes darted from Haden's legs to his sword. Making a split-second decision that had only a 50/50 chance of succeeding, he threw himself forward, knocking Haden's legs from underneath him. Haden scrambled for his sword. Travis ignored him, racing to catch Katie before she fell.

He got there just in time to cushion her head, placing her gently on the ground. He spun around in time to see Haden reaching for a sword, but Travis pointed his sword at his throat. "Give me a reason, and I swear I will," he whispered, his eyes glittering.

He heard footsteps thundering outside the hall. The door burst open. Travis hefted his sword, expecting enemies, but he was pointing his sword at Nico, Will, Annabeth, Percy, and Clarisse.

"Travis? What are you doing here, man? Chiron told you to stay at camp!" Will said, his eyes wide.

"Please," he snorted. "When's the last time I ever listened to that old bat?"

"Good point."

"Who's this, Travis?" said Annabeth, nudging Haden with her knife. "Haden, son of Nemesis," he answered tersely. "Could you...?"

"Leave it to me, Clarisse growled. She marched over to Haden and poked him with her electric spear. "Get moving, pretty boy," she barked, leading him out, followed by Nico.

Percy and Will were still staring at him. "You have some explaining to do," Percy said.

"Yes, yes," Travis said impatiently. "Can we first take care of Katie?"

"You got it," Will said. He gingerly picked up Katie, motioning for Travis to help him. They carried Katie out, up the hallway and out the exit, which Annabeth discovered the touch of a half-blood could open, much like Daedalus's entrances to the Labyrinth.

Travis was greeted by an over-excited Mrs. O'Leary. He stared apprehensively. "Shadow travel?" he asked Nico. Nico gave a brisk nod. "All aboard!" Nico shouted as they disappeared into the shadows.

Once they arrived at Camp Half-Blood, Nico ran to the Big House to inform Mr. D and Chiron. Will, Nico, Travis, Percy, and Annabeth stood before them. Clarisse was attending to Haden-probably torturing him-but was instructed to build him a temporary prison-erm, holding cell. Katie was resting in the infirmary.

Travis flinched under Mr. D's steely gaze. "Explain. All of you. Now."

"Well-" Annabeth began, but Travis interrupted her. "Sir, I couldn't let them go without me. So I snuck out, met Lord Hermes, and-" Travis proceeded to describe his interaction with Hermes and his adventures thenceforth. In turn, Percy, Annabeth, Will, and Nico reported their adventures, saying that Hermes approached them, and told them where to go, saying Katie was being held captive, and that Travis needed their help.

_Which I didn't, _he thought, grumbling._ I handled it fine on my own. _

"So, you defied my orders, snuck out of camp, battled _empousa,_ defeated an angry demigod and son of Nemesis, and saved Katie?" Chiron mused. "Not bad, hero."

Mr. D seemed content to ignore the proceedings and play cards with his Diet Coke.

"But what will happen to Haden? I mean, I know he tried to kill Katie-" Travis stopped, his eyes wide, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Katie!" With that, he dashed out of the

Big House, and ignoring Chiron's calls, sprinted to the infirmary.

Travis arrived, panting and out of breath, in the infirmary. He raced to the last bed, seeing Katie lying perfectly still on it.

His heart stopped.

But the gentle rise and fall of her chest reassured him that she was, at least, not dead.

He slowly approached the bed, taking in her scratched and bruised appearance.

She appeared to be asleep. Her eyelids fluttered, and she seemed to be mumbling something. Travis leaned closer in time to catch the words, "...Travis.." before she trailed off.

She was dreaming of him.

Suddenly, the urge to kiss her was too much. Travis leaned in and gently brushed her cheek with his lips. Sighing, he turned to leave.

Before he could leave, a sleepy voice behind him said, "Travis?"

He froze. _Shit._

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**Haha, so there's my promised kiss. Not much, I know. Thanks to all my reviewers! I love you all! Next chapter, Travis and Katie talk (well, more than talk) about some unresolved feelings.**

**Kisses!**


	4. A BIG Secret

**Next chapter, up! Thanks a bunches to all my fantastic reviewers- I love hearing what you guys have to say. :) Anyway, read on! **

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Previously:

_Suddenly, the urge to kiss her was too much. Travis leaned in and gently brushed his lips against her cheek._

_Sighing, he turned to leave._

_Before he could leave, a sleepy voice behind him said, "Travis?"_

_He froze. Shit._

Travis turned around slowly.

There was _his _Katie, looking beautiful and adorable as ever, having just woken up.

"Did you just...kiss me?" she said, her fingers ghosting over the spot on her cheek.

Travis colored slightly, but paused, considering how to answer. "I, you-well, I thought-," was his brilliant reply.

Katie made to get out of her bed, but Travis strode over and gently pushed her back down, saying, "You need to rest, Katie. You were hit pretty badly, and your ankle is twisted." Travis's eyes gleamed with anger. He struggled to keep his temper in check.

Katie snorted. "I'm not a china doll, Travis. I'm fine."

Travis raised his eyebrows. "Fine, huh? _This_ doesn't look like fine," he said, tracing his fingers over her the scrape on her cheek, then skipping to the bandage on her neck. When Katie shifted, her white t-shirt rode up her stomach. What Travis saw made him gasp.

An ugly, blotchy bruise stretched across her side and over her stomach. In some places, it was dark blue, in others, a sickly yellow. Momentarily forgetting himself, he reached over and slid the shirt further up her stomach. The bruise extended across her stomach and side, like an ink stain. Travis gave an involuntary exclamation.

"Gods above," he whispered. "What _happened_?"

Katie blushed and pulled down her shirt. "Nothing," she mumbled, pulling away from him. "Haden just wasn't overly careful where he was kicking, that's all."

Travis felt a pure rush of uncontrolled fury. He sprang halfway up out of his chair, with the intention of snapping Haden's neck, but then decided better of it, sinking back down in the chair with a murderous glare in his eyes.

"Will didn't see this? They couldn't heal this?" Travis demanded, anger clearly evident in his voice.

"They asked me where it hurt," she said in a small voice. "I just..didn't.." Katie trailed off uncertainly, but she didn't need to finish her sentence in order for Travis to know what she was talking about. Katie didn't like to moan or complain, to show weakness; but he hated seeing her so broken and vulnerable.

Travis sat down, breathing heavily. He reached over to the bedside table, fumbling until his hands came into contact with the canteen of nectar, which he then handed over to Katie.

"Drink," he said sternly. Katie was so stubborn about things sometimes, she didn't think things through. Only Katie would see her injury as a weakness. "Why didn't you take this before?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "I didn't want to risk anymore," she admitted, but she drained the cup anyway.

Before his eyes, her bruise shrank, smaller and smaller, until it disappeared completely. Her cuts faded, and her cheeks took a rosy glow. She gingerly touched her side. No evidence of the blight remained.

"Do you feel feverish?" Travis asked worriedly.

Grinning, Katie threw off her blankets. "Nope! Guess I don't need to stay after all!" she said cheerfully.

Travis rolled his eyes, but acquiesced.

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Katie followed Travis outside into the blazing sunlight.

She turned to look at him discreetly. The afternoon sun hit his hair, bringing out the golden undertones, making him look godly. She thought back to the kiss. Sure, it was only on the cheek, but still.

Travis faced her then said, grinning, "How about celebrating your return to good health with a dip in the lake?"

"Sure," she breathed. He could have asked her to spray weed killer on her roses right now, and she would have done it.

As they neared the beach, Travis reached out and grabbed her hand. Katie's skin tingled, as though he had zapped her with electricity, minus the pain part. She hoped her blush wasn't as noticeable as it felt.

But when they reached the water, he dropped her hand. Trying to hide her disappointment, she turned away.

Travis had other plans.

He took a handful of water, and splashed it in her face.

She should of seen that coming. Bastard.

"You dick, Stoll!" she shouted, dipping her hands in the water and flinging them at him, while running back on the beach, dodging his next attack.

Travis sat down next to her, his chest heaving with laughter. Suddenly, he paused. "I'm...glad you're OK, Kates. If you had been...hurt, I don't think I could've lived with myself," Travis said hesitantly. "So I wanted to say-to tell you..."

Katie opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Travis softly put a finger to her lips, an intense look in his eyes.

Katie's breath caught. Her heart was beating a thousand times a minute. Her pulse went haywire. It felt like a hot iron was being pressed to her cheeks.

Suddenly, he pinned her arms to her sides.

Then pressed his lips to hers.

Holy _shit_, it was even better than Katie had imagined. And she had imagined it a lot. Borderline-creepy-a-lot.

He tasted even better than she had thought, like chocolate and vanilla, and everything else delicious and warm. She caught a whiff of that same scent-strong, clean, yet masculine, and unbearably enticing, that she had inhaled at the brazier-was it really a few days ago?-it seemed like a lifetime ago.

Travis's warm lips moved gently against hers, causing her to gasp. She reciprocated with equal fervor, tangling her hand in his buttery soft curls, her other hand tracing his neck.

This was heaven.

They broke apart, because, unfortunately, they needed air.

A slow smile spread across Travis's handsome features. Katie found his dimple absolutely delectable.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," he said softly.

Katie was speechless. Finally, she said, "Me too."

A silly, loveable grin graced his face.

"You've have no idea how long you've been tempting me, Kates. It's utterly unfair. But you're mine now, so I can do what I like," Travis finished, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Such as?" Katie said innocently. "And who said I belong to you?"

Travis smirked. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes that made her think of MUCH worse fantasies than the other day. She barely had time to regret her question before he rolled on top of her, pressing her body into the pressed his lips to her most sensitive spot on her neck. She squeaked. _Fuck, all of 5 minutes and he's already the best I've ever had..._she thought, dazed.

Travis moved his lips back to hers, kissing her passionately. His hands slipped under her shirt, caressing the bare skin of her waist. Katie wrapped her legs around his waist, sighing as he ran his hands up her sides. "Such as this," he breathed, propping himself up on his elbows to see her.

Katie made an impatient noise, squirming underneath him.

"Say please," he said teasingly, flicking her nose with his finger playfully.

She grinned, pulling his lips back to hers.

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After their little make-out session at the beach, they headed to dinner. The dining hall was crowded and noisy. Travis squeezed her hand and joined the Hermes table. They were...dating, she supposed, now. But it's not like they screamed it from the rooftops or anything.

Katie hurried off to the Demeter table. Her siblings smiled at her. "Hey, Katie!" Melanie greeted her. "Glad to see you're OK."

Katie returned the smile. "A-OK," she said. "A bit of nectar, good as new."

Across the hall, she winked at Travis. Travis responded with a grin, then turned to Connor and whisper something to him discreetly.

Melanie turned to see who she was looking at. "Stoll, again, huh? Hm..he's not half bad to look at, either," she said slyly.

Katie felt a quick pulse of anger, but she quickly stifled her irritation. Travis was _hers_. And she was not going to be the annoying, whiny, insecure girlfriend.

"Shut up, Melanie," Katie snapped.

"Looks like wittle Katie has a cwush," Melanie said in a baby voice.

Katie turned bright red. "I do not!" she protested indignantly, bits of salad flying off her fork as she brandished it at Melanie. Melanie skillfully dodged the flying projectiles, and it hit a hot Apollo camper.

Thankfully, she dropped the subject while trying to catch the attention of that cute Apollo boy, Jonathan.

Phew. Crisis averted. For how long, though?

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**Sorry for the long wait! Please review, and check out my poll for my next PJO story! **


	5. The Price of Beauty

***PLEASE READ***

**Hey, guys! Yeah, I know, it's been awhile. But here I am, new chapter ready to go! Anyway, thanks to all of you guys who voted on my poll. Majority said Travis and Katie for my next story. But I'm totally out of ideas-so PLEASE, if you have an idea for Travis/Katie, leave a review and tell me! Also, if there's something you guys want me to write about in this story or where you want it to go, I take requests! It helps me write faster, actually. So let me know what you guys think-review! **

**Don't own Pantene or PJO. :(**

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Katie slumped against the sink. It had been almost 2 weeks since she had gotten together with Travis, and while she was definitely in-eek!-love with him, she didn't like what they were doing. And she couldn't face him right now. He was probably looking for her, waiting in one of their secret rendezvous spots around camp. So she took refuge in the once place he wouldn't look-the girl's bathroom.

Katie was usually not one to sneak around. She didn't like it. It felt...wrong.

But Travis apparently had no problem with it, so sneak around they did.

Where did they sneak around?

You name it, they've been there. The lake, the forest, behind the Big House, volleyball courts, that really big tree behind the amphitheater, by the stables-_that_ one was nasty-the strawberry fields, and once, (Katie vehemently protested this one, but needless to say, with a few well-placed kisses, he won) the Artemis cabin.

She made sure to sacrifice to Artemis that night at dinner.

Since she didn't get incinerated, Katie figured she was in the clear. Probably.

Fact is, Katie was tired of sneaking around. Hence the hiding in the bathroom from Travis. Why was their relationship so embarrassing to Travis, anyway? Was she too ugly to be seen with? Katie glanced in the mirror above the sink.

Katie stared critically at her reflection.

She tugged at a lock of her hair. Her hair was smooth and silky, about mid-way down her back. Her brown eyes were bright, framed with thick, long black lashes, curling delicately away from her eyes.

Skin? Not bad. Katie's skin was glowing with a healthy tan, probably from working in the strawberry fields. A few freckles were sprinkled across a perfectly straight, small nose. Her smile was white, straight, and bright, with full lips. Her arms and legs were smooth, and she was long and lean-reasonably fit, but shorter than average.

Katie never really thought of herself as vain, but she was pretty, she supposed. But maybe it wasn't enough! _I need to wow him, _she thought. _Maybe then he won't mind taking out relationship public. And for that, I need..._Katie paused, her mouth open. She jumped up as though zapped, and charger out the door, shouting, "_Drewwwww!"_

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Standing in the immaculate Aphrodite cabin, Katie felt awkward and out of place. She was suddenly hyper-aware of the dirt under her fingernails, her scruffy tennis shoes. Drew stood with a hand on her hip, her eyebrow raised, looking amused, as she listened to Katie. She was silent for so long Katie's palms began to sweat. Drew was a bitch, but she didn't know who else to go to. After all, what else were (most) Aphrodite kids good for? This what they excelled at.

Suddenly, Drew squealed. _Really_ loud.

Her lush, brown, nutmeg-y hair bouncing like she was in a Pantene commercial, Drew squealed and jumped for a few more seconds. Then she stopped, and whipped out her compact. She procured a mini eyeshadow brush from seemingly nowhere, touched up a microscopic flaw in her makeup, then said, "I thought you'd never ask! Believe me, I have been dying to give to give you Demeter kids a makeover forever. You guys are like, so touchy about that stuff."

Katie wasn't sure if she was being insulted or not, so she smiled uncertainly.

Drew grabbed her arm, and forcefully steered her toward a bathroom the size of the entire Demeter cabin, babbling at top speed the entire time. Damn, she was _strong. _"Tiffany! Rose! C'mere!"

On cue, Tiffany and Rose materialized in the gigantic bathroom. Rose was next in line for head counselor, and with her thick, straight black hair, olive skin, and piercing emerald eyes, she definitely looked the part. Tiffany, on the other hand, was a pretty, blond haired, blue-eyed girl, like a cheerleader or popular high school girl, with classic beauty, unlike Rose's exotic features."Oh, Drew," Rose sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "You like the challenges, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katie cried indignantly.

"Sweetie," Tiffany clicked her tongue, making a _tsk tsk_ noise. "Don't take it personally. We all have room for self-improvement, don't we, Rose, Drew?" she said, flashing Katie a blindingly white smile.

Suddenly Katie remembered why she hated the Aphrodite cabin. But Drew and Rose were nodding in agreement. "Just relax, Katie. You are going to look_ so_ fab."

"Alright," Drew announced, suddenly business-like. "First, you actually have you be clean, 'kay? Then we'll start on the rest."

Saying so, Tiffany proceeded to strip Katie of her clothes, with an expression akin to one scooping up dog shit. Holding them by her forefinger and pinky, she tossed them in the corner of the room, her nose wrinkled.

Leaving Katie standing in only her bra and underwear, Tiffany cast a critical up-and-down look at her. Rose burst out laughing saying, "Oh, Katie, I hope you were NOT trying to get laid wearing that," she said, gesturing to her nude bra and white cotton underwear.

"Hey, they're comfortable, okay?" she said defensively. Suddenly, Drew paused. "I hope you wax downstairs, Katie. Cause that is not part of the deal."

"Of course I do!" Katie stammered, blushing a bright red. "I don't go around like a hairy beast!"

"Good," Drew said briskly. While Tiffany was invading Katie's space, Drew had been running the jacuzzi-sized tub full of hot, steaming water with large bubbles. Rose, Tiffany, and Drew turned around while Katie stepped into the tub. Making sure the bubbles covered her, she called, "Okay, you can look!"

Without further ado, Rose began massaging a lovely floral scented shampoo into Katie's scalp, while Drew squirted a peach-scented body scrub onto a washcloth and scoured Katie's bare arm. "Ow, ow, ow!" she screeched as Drew rubbed what felt like sandpaper on her arms. "Oh, stop complaining. Do you think we get this pretty without a little pain?"

Tiffany was assembling what looked like a mani pedi station in another corner of the bathroom.

"Rinse," Rose ordered, dunking her head under the faucet. When she came up, sputtering, she smoothed in a strawberry-scented conditioner, and let it set for a few minutes, while Drew rinsed off the peach scrub.

Once Katie was scrubbed, washed, and polished to perfection, and wrapped securely in a white bathrobe, Tiffany seated her at the mani pedi station. Calling in another Aphrodite camper to give the the full mani pedi treatment, Tiffany and Rose rubbed in a scented, glittery lotion on her, while Drew had disappeared into the closet, selecting an outfit.

After her nails were dry, she was led over to a large vanity. Once seated, she they unwrapped the towel from her hair and let her damp locks cascade down her back. "Hm," Rose mused, poking a strand of her hair. "So much potential."

Then without a further warning, she whipped out a blow dryer and proceeded to blast her head until her hair was dry and poofy. Then came the flat iron. Katie was shunted from one station to another, until it came the part she was most nervous about. Makeup wasn't something she had a lot of experience with, but Rose and Tiffany paid no regard and put gods knows what on her-it was all to fast for her to see. After about an hour, they stood back and admired their work.

"Nice," Rose said appreciatively, slapping Tiffany a dainty high-five.

Drew, who finally exited the closet, had a pile of clothes in her hand. "Good work, guys," she said, smiling. "Job well done."

She then pushed a pile of clothes at Katie and said, "Go change, and then come out and do a twirl for us!"

In the bathroom, Drew had given her a white miniskirt, a flowy, baby doll pink tank top with ruffled straps, and corkscrew wedges with brown straps, _honking_ diamond studs along with a matching necklace and delicate ring. Worst of all, she gave her a lacy, black bra, and a itty bitty scrap of cloth she assumed was supposed to cover her ass."What the hell?" she screeched. "Drew!" she shouted, pounding on the door. "I am NOT wearing this!"

No answer.

Well, fuck her.

Reluctantly, Katie put on the outfit. She stopped, looking at herself in the mirror. "Wow," she murmured softly. Katie's hair was in soft ringlets, framing her face and shining down her back. Her skin shimmered and sparkled. Her nails were polished and elegant. And her makeup..wow. Rose and Tiffany knew what they were doing. The makeup brought out all her right features, with perfect brows right down to soft, shiny pink lips. Her curves were totally killer.

She flung open the door and embraced the three girls in a hug. "I knew I loved you guys!" she shouted. They all laughed, hugging her back. "Thanks, hon. Now go get him!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o—o-o-o-o-o

**Yeah, I realized I wrote an entire chapter on her makeover. That's the girl inside me. Bear with this filler chapter, please, and don't forget to review and tell me what you want to happen! **


	6. Love me, Love me not

**Hello again! It's been a month since I last updated...oops. Unfortunately, I have no other excuses to offer than merely lack of inspiration. But, lo and behold, while eating coco puffs at the bar listening to the radio on my ipod, Everytime We Touch by Cascada came on, and I was inspired! So that's why I abandoned my late night snack and sprinted to my laptop... it's 1:32am here in San Diego...but I had to strike when the iron's hot, yes? This is a crazy chapter, what with jealous ex girlfriends and whatnot! I Read on! **

**I don't own PJO or any of the rights to Everytime We Touch or Cascada.**

**P.S My late night mind dreams up more steamy scenarios. Lots of swearing, T-moments ahead, be warned.**

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Travis wasn't initially worried when Katie didn't show up for their make-out session-she'd been late before. But when she failed to show half an hour later, he finally accepted that she was not coming. Slightly worried but mostly confused, Travis trudged off towards the Hermes cabin alone. _She probably forgot,_ he reassured himself half-heartedly. Whatever the reason, there was no cause for concern. Even so, he was disappointed. He hadn't seen Katie like_ that_ in a few days, which seemed like an eternity.

Admittedly, he'd been wanting to take the relationship public recently. He hated having to do it in secret, like it was something to be ashamed of. Did she not want to be with him? Did she just want to make out with him? But when he was with her, he couldn't think that.

It wasn't just about the make-outs-although, that was an added bonus-it was more just being around Katie herself. He was always happier around her, more relaxed. He loved everything about her, from the tips of her scuffed tennis shoes to the roots of her soft, shiny hair. But lately, Katie seemed distant, as if something was upsetting her. Now, Travis wasn't an expert on girls, but even he knew something was wrong.

And he meant to ask her about it, today, but she never showed. He'd see her at dinner, Travis supposed.

But still, he felt worry gnawing at his stomach. Ever since the whole crazy Haden/empousa incident, Travis had been overprotective, but he couldn't help it. Katie, he always worried about.

He'd never admit this to Katie, what with her being fiercely independent and all, but he still had nightmares about her, on the floor, broken, covered in blood, inches from death. Travis would wake up, shaking, covered in sweat, but more often, glowing with red-hot rage towards that sick little bastard, Haden. If he had had his way, Travis would have kicked his sorry little ass to Tartarus and brought him back to life just so he could do it again.

Sadistic torture thoughts aside, he wondered if he was losing his touch. Judging from the dozens of flirtatious girls that surrounded him frequently, Travis doubted it. But he didn't need dozens.

Just one.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Excitement and anxiety twisted in Katie's stomach as she prepared for dinner. She took off the wedges-she felt ridiculous in them. Instead, she replaced them with cute pink flates. But despite the dozens of reassurances she looked fabulous, she was still worried about Travis's reaction. Would he still like her? Was she being too skanky? She didn't need dozens of compliments and approvals.

Just one.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Travis hit the showers and headed to dinner. His eyes flicked to the Demeter table. Katie was mysteriously absent. Worry exploded in the pit of his stomach. _Stop it,_ he thought sternly. _You're being ridiculous._ Sitting with his back to the door at the Hermes table, he loaded his plate and poured a goblet of water. Connor sat across from him, shoveling food onto his dinner plate with equal enthusiasm, when he all of the sudden knocked over his glass with a loud clang, staining several feet of the white linen table cloth bright red Cherry Cola.

"Nice, dude," Travis snickered, shifted his elbow to avoid the spreading stain.

He didn't respond. "Connor?" Travis prompted. No response. Connor's eyes were fixed on the door. "_What_ are you staring at?" Travis hissed. Connor's only response was "Ugh-mugosh." Snorting impatiently, he twisted around to see what struck his brother speechless.

Travis swore loudly, causing the nearest tables to shoot dirty looks at him. At that moment, he didn't give a flying fuck.

Holy mother fuck. Fuck._ Fuck._

Gods, what had she _done?_

Katie had strolled casually into the dinner hall, flanked by Drew, Tiffany, and Rose from the Aphrodite cabin. And gods above, she was _hot. _She had always been beautiful, but she never dressed to accentuate it. And that was just fine by Travis. But dressed up all sex-ified with a short skirt and flawless makeup, made dirty thoughts spring to mind. Their eyes met, hers full of anticipation, him, a predatory gleam.

He had never wanted her so much before this moment.

And gods witness, he was going to have her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Katie knew she was in trouble as soon as she walked into the dining hall. Heads turned. Boys whistled. But Katie only looked at Travis. He had a gleam in his eyes, and Katie knew she was going to pay later. She shivered in anticipation.

She barely touched her dinner. She was glad no one questioned her-this left her free to fantasize. Now, Katie was all for self-dependency, but she secretly liked it when Travis took control. It was...hot. Not that they had gone much further than making out, but still. Now, maybe, Travis would be willing to go public. And if putting on makeup in the morning ensured she could be with him, all the time, it was worth it.

As she continued staring at the Hermes table, she saw a sight that made her vision go red. That slut from the Hecate cabin, Andi, was prowling by the Hermes table. Andi would have never looked twice at Travis if he hadn't gotten all hot! _Well, the same's true for you,_ a little nagging voice in her head said. _Shut up_, she told it viciously. Andi stood behind Travis, giggling. She was pleased to see Travis looked vaguely uncomfortable. Suddenly, that skank_ ran a hand down the side of his arm. _Oh, that bitch. She did not. Katie leaped up, about to bitch slap her, but them regained her composure and leisurely cleared her dishes and sauntered out of the dining hall, putting an extra sway in her hips, past the Hermes table, and out the door. She heard Travis get up behind her, but she didn't slow or turn around.

Katie heard footsteps behind her. A warm arm encircled her waist, pulling her behind the building. Travis pressed her against the wall. He opened his mouth to speak, but Katie cut him off. She pressed her lips to his with a savage passion, hooking her fingers in the waistband of his jeans, drawing him closer. Travis broke away from the kiss, breathing heavily. "Gods, why are you doing this to me?" He groaned, withdrawing. Katie whimpered from the loss. "It's bad enough that you're wearing this-" he gestured to her outfit "-but when you do this, it's utterly unfair."

"Why?" Katie said seductively, pressing a kiss to the corner of his jaw.

"Because I can't control myself," Travis murmured, pulling her hands back and placing them gently around her sides. "Kates, what's this about?" he asked, his eyes searching her face inquisitively.

She didn't answer. Katie turned away from him, so he couldn't see her face. He gently turned her chin towards him, to see hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "Katie!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong, love?"

Katie shook her head, a choked sob escaping her lips. "Katie. Tell me what's wrong," he said gently.

It was the gentleness and concern in his voice that broke her. She started sobbing. Travis wrapped his arms around her, saying nothing, just letting her cry, soaking his shirt with salt water. Finally, she looked up, clearing her hoarse throat.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Travis was genuinely frightened when Katie completely broke down. He hadn't the foggiest idea what was bothering her, and he decided it was best to let her cry it out. He rubbed her back in a soothing motion, letting her sob. Finally, she looked up, clearing her throat. Her eyes were red, her makeup gone, her hair mussed. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"What's wrong with me, Travis? Am I not good enough? Are you ashamed to be with me?"

Travis was stunned. That was her problem? The whole makeover-thing? She thought _he_ was the one who didn't want to take it public? "Ashamed? Katie, how could you ever think that?" She cast her eyes down, sniffling. "Look at me," he said softly. Katie refused to meet his eyes.

"Kates, look at me," Travis commanded, lifting her chin up.

"Don't, don't, _ever _think that. I don't care if you never wear makeup again, shave your head, or gain a hundred pounds. You'd still be the best thing that happened to me. Hell, you could grow a beard! I wouldn't-well, maybe," he broke off, earning a small giggle from Katie.

A dazzling smile spread across Katie's face.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" she whispered, leaning her head against his chest. Travis chuckled. It was a comforting, melodious sound that warmed her from the inside out. "More like what I did to deserve _you,_ sweetheart." A little thrill went through her. He called her sweetheart! She would never admit it to him, but she loved when he used pet names for her. "Thank you," she murmured. Travis kissed her forehead. "Anytime, love. You know that."

After awhile, he stirred. "We should head back," Travis said regretfully.

Now that Katie knew what she had with Travis was real, she felt much lighter and more playful. As if the weight of the world have been lifted from her shoulders. "Do we? No time for...detours?"

Travis arched his eyebrows. "Why, Miss Gardner, what did you have in mind?" he said with false surprise, a smirk playing around his utterly enticing lips.

"Come and see!" she called over her shoulder, racing towards the Demeter cabin. She threw on a white tank top and black cotton shorts, then sprinted out towards the beach. Travis caught up with her, panting. "Kates, I love that you're spontaneous and all, but will you at least tell me where you're going?"

"No dice," she said flashing him a grin.

Katie was always a fast runner-she easily outpaced Travis. She made it to the beach, not stopping until her ankles hit the water, wading up until her thighs. Travis caught up with her. He playfully grabbed her around the waist, turning her so she was facing him. All of his playfulness was lost as he stared into her eyes.

Travis pressed a short kiss to her lips. Katie deepened the kiss, tugging his lower lip with her teeth. He shuddered, wrapping his arms around her waist, while hers tangled in his buttery-smooth curls. Suddenly, with a splash, a wave crashed over them, knocking them down and soaking them. They both came up, sputtering. Travis began to laugh.

He extended his hand to Katie, saying, "Shall we, my dear, relocate?" Katie giggled, allowing Travis to help her up.

Minutes later, they were located in the conveniently empty Hermes cabin. She supposed all his siblings were at the campfire. "You're all wet," Travis said with a devilish grin. Katie bit back a groan. She forgot she was wearing that ridiculous black lingerie that Drew had given her. Too late. Well, she might as well use it to her advantage.

"I don't suppose you'd have anything I could change into?" Katie said innocently.

"Actually, I do." He tossed her one of his t-shirts. "Thanks," she said. Not bothering with the bathroom, she stripped off her white tank top, giving him a full view of her black lacy bra underneath, then turned around and unhooked the bra. Katie heard his intake of breath. She slipped the t-shirt over her head, and loosened her bun, letting her waves spill out.

Ignoring Travis, who was standing there, dumbfounded, she climbed on his bunk,. "Well?" she called. "Are you coming?"

Travis hastened to remove his shirt as he walked over to his trunk. Oh, hell, that boy had some abs. Yum. He pulled on a fresh white shirt and shorts. He mounted the bed and sat besides her. "So, what now?"

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

There was something incredibly appealing about seeing your hot girlfriend in one your shirts. The shirt was too big, and it hung off the side of one shoulder, revealing Katie's tanned, smooth shoulder. Travis pulled her against him pressing a kiss to her bare collarbone. She exhaled heavily, relaxing into his touch. She shifted, so she was in a position where she was straddling him. Katie kissed him passionately, making his sight go hazy with desire.

Without waiting for his consent, in one swift motion, Katie pulled his shirt over his head, running a hand over his smooth, defined chest. Travis's hand slipped under her shirt, caressing her waist. After several more minutes of frenzied kissing, it slowed down into something more languid and sweet.

Travis looked at Katie. Before he could lose his courage, he pressed his lips to Katie's forehead, saying, " I love you, Kates." Katie's eyes widened, but then her face relaxed into a gentle smile, "Love you, too."

**O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**and...it's now 5:29am. Sorry if any of this doesn't make sense, I'm not bothering to re-read it, and i'm half asleep. So please, read, review, tell me if it's crap. And oh, we will be seeing more of that bitch, Andi!**


	7. Seduction

**No excuses! It's been a horrific amount of time since I last updated. So I plugged in good ol' Maroon 5 and chugged this out. Silent readers, leave a review! (Although every time I try and answer reviews some stupid error code comes up, anyone know how to get around this?) Also, Drew is not a bitch in this and she's still head counselor.**

**Also, I'm going to start featuring reviews-this one stood out!**

" **I be wantin a piece o' Travis pie. I'll PM you my address." -Travie4eva**

Bright light pervaded the filmy curtains, making Katie squint. She stirred, inhaling the lovely familiar scent of Travis's shampoo and cologne. She sighed, hoping to fall back asleep, when she realized there should not be Travis's scent in her bed. _Unless..._

"Oh, shit!" Katie gasped, sitting upright in her bed. Except it wasn't her bed, it was Travis's bed, and they were in the Hermes cabin, with dozens of his sleeping siblings surrounding them. She threw off Travis's arms, albeit reluctantly, and scrambled up, making to get off the bed.

A warm hand grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving. "Where do you think you're going, love?" Travis said sleepily.

"Back to my cabin, Travis, so no one sees that I spent the night and jump to conclusions," Katie hissed, unsuccessfully attempting to pry Travis's fingers off her arm.

"No, I want to spend the day in bed with my girlfriend," Travis complained, his expression akin to one of a petulant child. Katie giggled, kissing to tip of his nose. "Maybe later, babe. Gotta go." Saying so, she left.

Arriving at the Demeter cabin with no complications, Katie congratulated herself on a sneaky job well done. She crept inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. _Now I just have to get in bed and pretend I was there the whole time!_

She turned towards her bunk, except there was already someone in it.

Melanie was sitting on her bunk. Her eyes were red, her hair mussed, and she had to look of an extremely bad-tempered cat who had been thrown in a bucket of water then given a dog biscuit to compensate on her face.

Um, yeah. This was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

Katie opened her mouth to speak. "Where the hell have you been?" Melanie shot at her before she could speak.. "Yeah, um, about that..." Katie trailed off.

Melanie cut her off. "Nevermind that, who's _shirt _are you wearing?"

"Like it's any of your business," Katie shot back. "C'mon, we have to get to breakfast."

Melanie let the matter drop, although Katie could tell she wasn't satisfied and would wait for the right moment to pounce.

Her prediction came true, for no sooner than Katie had showered and dressed, Melanie said casually, "So are you going to give Travis's shirt back?"

Her back to Melanie, she said, "No, it's not like he'd miss it, Travis has a ton any-" She spun around, her eyes wide. "Who said anything about Travis?"

"You did," Melanie smirked. "Cheater," Katie grumbled, striding out of the cabin without waiting for Melanie to catch up.

"Well, details!" Melanie called out. "How was it? Did it hurt? How big is his-" She didn't get to finish, however, because Katie clamped her hand over her mouth. "Shut up!" she hissed. "Do you want people to think I slept with Travis?"

Melanie blinked. "Well, you did, didn't you?"

"No! Well, we were sleeping together, but I didn't _sleep_ with him." Melanie snorted. "Oh, please. Save your bullshit for someone else. You're saying you had _Travis Stoll_, in a bed, shirtless-shirtless, right?-and you didn't have the weensiest bit of sex?"

"No..we just made out and that's it. Then we fell asleep. Ta da, that's it, end of story."

"You're killing me, Katie," she sighed. "Any other girl would have so taken advantage of that. But no, not Katie Gardener. Speaking of that..." At the dining hall, Melanie nodded her head towards the Hermes table. "I'd go take care of that before it get too out of hand." Saying so, she tweaked Katie's cheek and strode off towards the fruit loops.

Katie glanced towards the Hermes table. Andi-yes, that Andi-was standing next to Travis. Her grimy little hands were all over him, her head bent towards his ear, whispering something. She was probably giving Travis all her diseases.

Katie walked up to Travis, pushed Andi out of the way, and kissed him full on the mouth. "Mm, sausage?" she said, looking down at his plate. "I need to get myself some that," Katie said, winking suggestively. With that, she gave Andi the dirtiest look she could muster, and indeed went to get herself some sausage.

Nobody noticed the ugly scowl on Andi's face. Frankly, nobody cared anyway.

* * *

Travis appreciated Katie's little stunt this morning- Andi creeped him out. Even though she was hot, she looked at him...like she wanted to...eat him. Literally.

Ever since Travis's growth spurt (he liked to called it The Transformation) girls noticed him. Travis enjoyed the attention. He wasn't a man whore or anything-it was more of an ego booster. Unfortunately, being a stud came with a heavy price. Namely, girls like Andi. It wasn't that she wasn't hot (even though he was thoroughly devoted to Katie, he was a man, with hormones, after all).

Uh-oh. Was Travis a sex-crazed beast? He needed to stop letting his pants run the show. And he didn't want to push his own girlfriend too far, too fast. Travis, he told himself sternly. _You have a fantastic, super hot, sexy, caring, girlfriend. Stop. _With that, he busied himself with thoughts of his latest prank.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Meanwhile, while Travis was pondering, Katie was doing much the same. Only, she was thinking about something much the same.

Sex.

She wanted it. Bad. The makeouts were still hot-but they weren't enough. Katie wanted something...more. And goddamit, she was going to have it.

Thus Katie decided to seduce Travis.

She found him behind the armor shed, holding something in his hand. She quieted her steps, hoping to catch him by surprise. She tip toed closer, then placed her hand over his eyes and ghosted her lips over his cheek, while taking whatever-it-was from his hands-a firecracker. "Guess who?" Katie murmured.

Travis exhaled loudly.

"Can I have my firecracker back, Katie?" Travis said curtly. Not the slightest bit of arousal. At all. Well, she'd give it a shot anyway.

"Kiss me first."

Travis pressed his lips chastely to hers, then looked at her expectantly. "Here's your damn firecracker," Katie growled. She threw it at his face and stomped off.

After her failed attempt to seduce Travis earlier, Katie formulated a new plan.

The next morning, Katie popped in at Travis's Ancient Greek lesson. She had caused a distraction by growing poison ivy over the Hecate cabin, encasing it completely, trapping them inside. She was sure the Hecate girls could do a little hocus-pocus to get themselves out, but it gave her enough time for her mission.

Travis was having a private lesson with Chiron, but he was sorting out the mess at the Hecate cabin. So Travis was sitting there, scribbling in Ancient Greek on a scrap of paper.

Katie approached him, throwing a leg over his lap. "Hi," she whispered. "What are you doing?" Travis said cautiously. "What, I can't come see my boyfriend to say hi?" Katie said innocently, batting her lashes.

"Not when I'm in the middle of an Ancient Greek lesson, Katie," Travis said, rubbing his eyes wearily.

She raised an eyebrow. "So you're turning down making out with me in favor of writing little squiggles?"

"A, they aren't little squiggles. B, Chiron could be back any minute. So, yeah. I really need to finish this."

Katie pouted. "Party pooper," she grumbled, stomping off for the second time that day.

* * *

"WHY won't he have sex with me?" she wailed, pounding her fists on the impeccable carpet of the Aphrodite cabin.

The head counselor looked at the sexually frustrated girl having a fit on the floor sympathetically. "You can't be subtle, sweetie. Tell him what you want!"

"I practically jumped him in his Ancient Greek lesson just now! I mean, what guy turns down making out with his girlfriend to study stupid little squiggles!" Katie screamed, her voice muffled by the carpet.

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Just tell him straight out, hon. Where he can't avoid it. The Hermes cabin, maybe?" she suggested.

"Yeah, sure, and wake up his 20 other sibling asking him if he wants to have sex," Katie said sarcastically. Her head pounded. Being celibate sucked. "Don't worry," Drew reassured her. "I'll make sure you have an empty cabin tonight. Then you can do your thing!"

"How..?" Katie questioned. "Leave that to me, babe. You just concentrate on being sexy," Drew said, winking.

_Great. What could possibly go wrong?_

**Short chapter, I know! Longer ones ahead this..month, I promise! Silent readers, don't be afraid to leave a review! Tell me if you have any plot ideas or if you want to see any characters make an appearance. **


	8. Mystery Man

**You guys are AWESOME! 100 reviews? Thanks for sticking with me this long! Now I'm officially out of school and exams are over, so I'll be updating more often! Also, I got a request for a lil bit of **_**Thalico**_** so this is what this chapter focuses on. (Don't worry, Katie and Travis get their sexytime!) This isn't going to be spot on with Son of Neptune and their ages are all over the place. **

Thalia roamed around Camp Half-Blood aimlessly, with no particular destination in mind attempting to suppress the nostalgia she felt being back in her old stomping grounds. Well, not really. She had sort of been turned into a tree before she could make it here.

But whatever.

Being a Hunter certainly had its benefits-first and foremost immortality-but it was lonely. Sort of. Even though she had the girls, they didn't really compare to Percy and Annabeth. Although they were in their own little Percabeth land.

And that was fine. The only problem was it made her feel like a gigantic awkward third wheel. They insisted they wanted her company, and then proceeded to completely ignore her and stare longingly into each others' eyes and use their little pet names and all that other mushy crap. Thus Thalia found herself in the arena.

It was nauseatingly cute, actually. But she was unaccustomed to the overwhelming feeling of... loneliness. She shook her head, disgusted. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Hunter of Artemis, for fuck's sake. She didn't get _lonely._ Anyway, wasn't she supposed to be an eternal virgin or something? Yeah, she so did not think that through before she pledged to not have sex forever. For the way Annabeth and Percy were acting, it seemed like she was missing out on a lot. Now that she thought about it, it was a pretty crappy deal.

Immortality for sex? What _had_ she been thinking?

Her views on this matter were only reinforced further when she entered the arena. At first glance it was empty, but a second once over revealed a totally ripped guy in the corner tearing apart a dummy with an iron blade instead of the usual Celestial bronze.

On the pretense of adjusting her armor, she gave the guy a subtle up-and-down. He had shaggy black hair, curling around the tips of his ears. His long, lean torso was insanely cut, and his bare chest gleamed with sweat in the dull light of the arena. She wasn't close enough to see his face clearly, but from her angle, he wasn't half bad looking. At that precise moment, he loped the head off the dummy and turned to her.

_Busted,_ she thought. Turning her face to hid her flaming cheeks, she suited up quickly and drew her sword. She swung her blade expertly, checking the balance. Perfect. Sheapproached one of the practice dummies. She swung her sword lightning fast, slashing the dummy into ribbons within minutes. She felt the stranger's eyes on her, so she decided to show off a bit. She showed her flashiest moves on her next dummy, cutting of the head in mere seconds.

She whirled around as cold steel prodded her in the back. Sexy Mystery Man had approached her silently and now stood behind her, his sword level at her chest. "Fancy a duel?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, his eyes raking over the two destroyed dummies.

Thalia snorted. "You're on," she grinned.

She strode to the center, confident she could decimate him with her superior technique and skill. She settled into a crouch. Without warning, she swung her sword at his head, surprised to find her blade met resistance half way. Frowning, she feinted to the left then slashed at his right side, which he parried. She rained down several blows in quick succession, only to find herself blocked at every turn. Thalia hissed as he almost managed to nick her hip, which she only managed to evade at the last second. He was not longer playing defense.

Hot Stranger Man succeeded in pushing her back in the wall of the arena. She was trapped.

With one last fancy maneuver, he disarmed her and suddenly cold blade was against her throat. Thalia gulped, her heart thundering and her cheeks flushed pink from exertion and his closeness. "Dead," he murmured, inches away from her face. His close proximity rendered her speechless. She opened her mouth to make a snarky remark, but nothing came out. By the time she recovered, he had already sheathed his sword and was almost out the door.

"Wait!" she called. "I...I didn't catch your name."

The stranger paused. "Nico," he said, his mouth quirking into an adorable half-smile. "Nico di Angelo."

* * *

Thalia stared after him, dumbfounded. Di Angelo? That scrawny little brother of Bianca's? Without warning, her throat tightened at the memory. Guiltless as everyone said she was, she still felt responsible for the death of her friend. It had been even worse on Nico. She hadn't seen him since that day, albeit a brief glimpse during the Battle of New York. But damn, he got...for lack of a better word, muscly. And totally gorgeous.

Thalia felt a tad guilty for thinking sexual and totally blasphemous thoughts about her dead friend's younger brother. _Although, _she mused. _We would probably be the same age now. So it's not that creepy...? _Since she stopped aging and all. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't pay attention to where her feet were taking her until she reached the dining hall and bumped into Annabeth.

"Hey, Thals-! Hey! Are you okay?" Annabeth said, waving her hand in front of Thalia's face.

"Huh?

"Earth to Thalia," Percy snickered, passing them with a tray in his hands. "Whatcha thinking about, Thalia? A booooyyy?" He then proceeded to cross his eyes and make kissy noises while she stared in disgust. And also blushed because of how accurate he was.

"Shove off, Percy," said Annabeth. "Make me," he taunted. "Thalia and.." he paused, looking around for a suitable candidate. Nico just _happened _to be entering the hall at that precise unfortunate moment. "...Nico!...sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." he finished.

Holy shit, why was Percy so on target tonight? Thalia looked at Annabeth pleadingly for help. She came to the rescue. "Percy, shut up or you won't get laid for the next month," she snapped.

That shut him up.

"Come on, Thalia," said Annabeth, tugging at her arm. "I should probably sit with the Hunters.." she trailed off. Annabeth paid her no mind and plunked down at the Percy's table along with a few others she recognized, including Travis and Conner Stoll, Katie Gardener, Piper, and Leo. Across from her was Katie, looking incredibly pissed and rather red in the face.

"Something wrong, Katie?" Thalia asked casually, while filling up her drink.

"Travis won't have sex with me!" Katie exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. Luckily, Travis and Conner were snorting about something at the other end of the table. Everyone stared.

"Um, did I say that out loud?" she muttered.

"Yep," smirked Percy.

"So, uh, you and Travis are a thing now?" Thalia stuttered, in a weak attempt to divert the subject.

"Apparently," she said, as everyone went back to their own conversations, except Thalia and Annabeth. "But I've been throwing myself at him all week, at he's barely looked at me _once. _I've had enough! I'm pissed and sexually _frustrated_," she said, gritting her teeth on the last word.

"Um, Katie?" Annabeth said hesitantly, because any minute now it looked like Katie's head was about to explode. "Why don't you just talk to him about it?"

"And how am I supposed to broach that subject? Every time I try to take things further, he gets all gentlemen-ish, goddamit," she sighed. Annabeth patted her hand sympathetically. "I can't really sympathize, Katie. I mean Percy's libido is...off the charts."

"Oh, gods," Thalia groaned. "Just say, 'Travis, I want to have sex with you'." Unable to take anymore, she unceremoniously dumped her tray and practically ran from the table.

* * *

Travis was trying, goddammit. Katie certainly wasn't making it easy. Everywhere he turned, Katie seemed to be there, innocently batting her long lashes and looking devilishly sexy at the same time. He almost lost it when he caught her as she was coming out of the shower, all wet and glorious and utterly tempting. He couldn't even sit next to her at dinner.

He took a deep breath. Thinking about her in that short little skimpy towel was causing him problems. Inconvenient and embarrassing problems. Muttering an excuse to Conner, he hurriedly left the dining halls to his cabin, so preoccupied he didn't even notice Katie behind him.

"Travis!"

He turned, groaning internally when he saw Katie. Calming himself, he tried to think of other things. Car crashes. Hurricanes. Dead puppies. Anything.

"I missed you at dinner," she pouted, sticking out her lower lip. Travis resisted the urge to kiss it. "I was there," he replied tightly, entering the cabin. Katie frowned. "Travis, I want to talk to you about something," she said. He faced her, surprised to see a steady blush creeping along her cheeks, staining them a pale pink, making her look absolutely adorable. "Well, I.." she trailed off, chewing on her lower lip.

That damn habit she had. That was it. Screw it all.

With a groan of surrender, he pulled Katie's lips to his.

She squeaked in surprise, but responded quickly. He kissed her hotly, his tongue exploring her mouth. He hissed as Katie lightly raked her nails over his stomach. Travis lifted her up, and she obligingly wrapped her legs around his waist as they fell back on the bed. He pressed eager kisses to her jawline, reveling in the little gasps and moans his ministrations elicited from her.

"Too many clothes," she moaned, sliding her hands underneath his white t-shirt. He groaned in response, but managed to pull his shirt over his head. She mewled in appreciation and attached herself to his neck, kissing and ravishing every bit of exposed flesh. Somehow, her shirt and shorts ended up next to his shirt on the floor.

The fog in his head cleared as he felt her hands on his belt buckle. "Katie, wait..stop," he murmured, using every ounce of will power he possessed to push her away. "You're sure?"

She gave him a sultry look, then proceeded to confirmed his unanswered question.

* * *

Hours later, Travis ran his hand up her bare arm. "Kates?" he murmured. "Hm," she said sleepily. "What did you want to ask me?"

She lifted her head off his chest, grinning. "Oh, nothing."

* * *

**Ok? No Thalico, or keep it up? **


End file.
